This invention relates to a front body structure of a vehicle, wherein a nose unit having at least a shroud panel and a shroud upper is mounted to a front part of a vehicle body, and an assembling method of it.
In the conventional art of the vehicle assembling line (main line), since each component to be fitted to a front part of a vehicle body such as a bumper, a radiator grille, head lumps, and a radiator is fitted at each different station, the number of stations increased and accordingly, the line becomes longer and more complicated. It also has an operational problem since the operator on a mixed flow line, in which a various type of vehicles are assembled, needs to make a decision whether the components should be fitted to the body depending on a vehicle type.
By incorporating several components into one unit, easing the operation on the assembling line and reducing the number of stations can be planned. By this, better precision for fitting components to the unit can also be improved since the whole unit is assembled in a separate line.
Considering the above aspects, the Japanese Patent Application Laying Open Gazette No. 63-103771 proposes to incorporate components such as a radiator, head lumps, a bumper, and a radiator grille to one unit by fitting them to a radiator core support and mount this unit to a front part of a vehicle body.
However, under such a structure that the unit is inserted from the front, it may not be applied for such contemporary vehicles that a front fender curves to the inboard greatly and consequently they have a narrower front end of a vehicle. In other words, as shown in FIG. 26, both ends b.sub.1 of the shroud upper b which is a mounting portion for the unit to the vehicle body (wheel apron reinforcement a) at inserting a unit may interfere with the front end portion c.sub.1 of the front fender positioned in the inner side of the vehicle body. The vertical line Q designates an inserting line of the unit and the dotted lone P designates a mounting position of the unit.